Miscellaneous desk
< April 30	<< Apr \| May \| Jun >>	May 2 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

May 1

Domestic AC power plugs and sockets mis-match with world usage map

Hello, Wikipedia information about various electric electric plugs was quite helpful. It appears that there is a mis-match with the accompanying world map. For example, Israel is described as using Type H (Israeli 3-pin) plugs, but the map indicates something else.75.37.161.79 00:23, 1 May 2007 (UTC)carolandgarry[reply]

You can actually leave a message like this on the discussion page for the article you saw. You might even get a reference for the authors, so they can correct it. --Zeizmic 02:23, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Brierdale, Florida

I have some questions about the location of Brierdale in the state of Florida and other questions about my fictional city.

Is Brierdale in South Florida?

Is the fictional city in Miami-Dade County?

How many residents are living in Brierdale?

How many streets are named after TV series and people? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.18.90.56 (talk) 00:33, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Are you this same user from 2 years ago?--VectorPotential^Talk 00:42, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Probably so, but let's try to answer it, anyway ....

Questions about reality have clear answers. Questions about fictional things (like Brierdale, FL) can, I suppose, be answered by the person who made them up. And, original poster, that's you. Not me or anyone else. Tugbug 00:56, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Or, just in case it will resolve two years of fictional Florida questionaires: (1) No. North Florida. (2) No. It's near Jacksonville. (3) 132. It's a dying farm town. (4) Zero. Farmers are much too practical for that. There you go! — Lomn 15:22, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

KOOL AID and Bill O' Reilly

Did you know that Bill has implied that if "you' are a liberal, you drink KOOL AID ? What he implies is that "you" can't think for yourself, an idiot, since this or a related drink mix was used in a mass murder/suicide. I have seen this on his show on the FOX News channel and heard it on The Radio Factor many times, seen this on Google as well. Can this be placed in appropriate articles. Would do so myself, but I'm on a Linksys at this time, and it keeps fucking up, causing DNS errors, and causing "Operation has Timed out" errors. 205.240.144.220 01:20, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's a figure of speech which has fairly wide usage; O'Reilly is by no means the originator or sole user of the phrase. See Kool-Aid#"Drinking the Kool-Aid". TenOfAllTrades(talk) 01:23, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it is particularly notable, but if you do, you would be better off discussing this at the Bill O' Reilly talkpage. Rockpocket 01:26, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's not so much about what Bill O'Reilly implies by his words, it's what individual viewers and listeners infer he means. Any interpretation of another's words is a matter of personal subjective opinion. JackofOz 01:32, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

All the same, don't drink the Flavor Aid. V-Man - ^T/_C 01:41, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

But do drink the Kool Aid, man, drink it!!!! Perry-mankster 11:07, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Acid-tested, mother-approved! V-Man - ^T/_C 00:38, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Basketball team with green/blue logo showing C and two stars

I need to know what basketball team features a C above two stars superimposed on a chevron of bright green and white stripes. The whole thing is then framed in a bright blue color. More specifically, I'm looking for the name of player #20 from the 2003 roster. I believe his/her last name started with Will. <a href="http://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=logosmallsn5.jpg"><a href="http://img250.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sigsmallgj9.jpg" target="_blank"></a> —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.19.235.190 (talk) 02:46, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

That actually resembles the Converse shoe company logo, which makes sense to find it on a shoe. Just a guess... V-Man - ^T/_C 03:59, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The player in question is, I think, Tamika Williams (actually, Tamika Raymond since her very recent marriage), who wears #20 for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA. Carom 04:42, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Weird Symbols

I have found 3 similar symbols, but I do not know what their names are or what they're used for. All I know about them are that they can be typed by holding down alt and pressing either 6320, 6321,or 6322.Here they are,

░
▒
▓

Wikiman232 03:49, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

They are part of the Windows Alt keycodes system, corresponding to the (shorter) codes 176, 177, and 178. V-Man - ^T/_C 03:56, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This is really a computer question and would have been better asked on the computer reference desk, if only you had known it was a computer question.

What you created originally may have been characters in some Windows character set, but Wikipedia operates in Unicode and the characters appeared as Unicode in your query. In Unicode the three characters are called "light shade", "medium shade", and "dark shade". They're intended to be repeated to make a shaded area in a diagram. They are part of the "Block Elements block", whose purpose is explained in the standard as follows (quoted from the version 4.0 standard under www.unicode.org since 5.0 is not online there yet):

The Block Elements block represents a graphic compatibility zone in the Unicode Standard. A number of existing national and vendor standards, including IBM PC Code Page 437, contain a number of characters intended to enable a simple kind of display cell graphics by filling some fraction of each cell, or by filling each display cell with some degree of shading. The Unicode Standard does not encourage this kind of character-based graphics model but includes a minimal set of such characters for backward compatibility with the existing standards.

Half-block fill characters are included for each half of a display cell, plus a graduated series of vertical and horizontal fractional fills based on one-eighth parts. Also included is a series of shades based on one-quarter shadings. The fractional fills do not form a logically complete set but are intended only for backward compatibility.

If you select "code charts" at www.unicode.org and type in, for example, 2591, then you will get a link to the PDF page showing the these three characters and the others in this block.

--Anonymous, May 1, 2007, 05:28 (UTC).

Those characters are part of Code_page_437 are (were) very important for ansi art -- Diletante 05:42, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Technically, they weren't important for ansi, but comprised it .. DDB 12:30, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Photographs in Plays, Concerts etc.

Under the commonwealth copyright laws, if I took a photograph of the people on stage during a play or a concert, whose copyright will it be? Can the copyright holder of the performance claim copyright over my photograph? (No this is not proper legal advice, just legal information). Thanks. --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:42, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There is a discussion over at Wikimedia Commons on this very subject (see here). A number of pertinent laws are mentioned, but the general consensus seems to be that photos of stage settings and such could be considered derivative works and therefore a copyright violation. --Joelmills 15:27, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Breakthrough bleeding

I have been on the pill (Levlen ED to stop my period for nearly 3 months now, and at the end of the first week of the third month I started to get breakthrough bleeding. The problem is the period has gone for 2 weeks now and it's driving me insane! When will it stop? I've still been taking the pills as normal. Can I make it stop by getting stronger pills? I want it gone by the end of this week! --124.181.19.144 06:43, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'm afraid we cannot give you specific medical advice, however the consumer information accompanying Levlen says

With all pills, for the first few months, you can have irregular vaginal bleeding (spotting or breakthrough bleeding) between your periods. You may need to use sanitary protection, but continue to take the tablets as normal. Irregular vaginal bleeding usually stops once your body has adjusted to the pill (usually after about 3 tablet-taking cycles). If it continues, becomes heavy or starts again, tell your doctor.

If you are concerned you really should see a doctor, or at least ask your pharmacist for advice. Rockpocket 07:37, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Umm sorry for posting this three times it was an accident... my computer is running at a snails pace at the moment and I pressed the save button three times. I still have a question though because I dont understand the pamphlet... how long is the bleeding supposed to last? --124.180.139.224 10:40, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Don't be sorry 124, but listen to Rocketpocket, Go see your doctor Perry-mankster 11:09, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Be aware in case you hadn't heard, the contreceptive pill has the annoying effect of making you sensitive to nickel. i.e. many women find they get a rash under their watches, some rings, earings etc. I have seen this problem many times but only heard a doctor explain it recently.Jakeflake

Thai Ngoc

Is it true that that he has been awake since 1973? A little research shows he has only been monitored for four days at a time. If so, why is it that Randy Gardner, who went without sleep for 11 days is the record holder? I can't find much information on this, does anyone have any leads? Cuban Cigar 08:04, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I am extremely sceptical of this claim. As the article on sleep deprivation states, lack of sleep can have many detrimental side effects, up to and including death. I believe your second sentence answers your second question...the burden of proof in cases like this rest firmly on the claimant; as sceptics are fond of saying, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof." Incidentally, the story reminds me of Nancy Kress's book Beggars in Spain. Anyways, I personally doubt his claim could withstand rigorous scientific scrutiny and seems on par with something like Breatharianism, and just writing this is making me sleepyZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZ -- Azi Like a Fox 10:40, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Car insurance

I'm not seeking financial advise, I'm just curious. Why do your insurance rates go up if you own more than one vehicle? You can only drive one at a time and therefore damage just one at a time. Dismas|^(talk) 08:21, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Unless you manage to crash car 1 into car 2 :) -- Azi Like a Fox 09:43, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

After 2 or 3 cars, it is assumed the crazy teens are street racing...--Zeizmic 11:03, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Insurance rules may seem odd to the consumer, but insurance companies are well known for using plenty of complex models, analysis, statistics etc. to determine their rates and policies. In this case I can see 2 reasons. One would be that they have statistics showing that owners of multiple cars have more accidents (perhaps because there are plenty of 1 car owners who don't use their one car very much, but it is less likely that someone who owns 2 cars takes the subway to work). Another reason could be even more related to the cold hearted commercial reality: People who can afford two cars can afford higher rates. Charging what customers can afford and accept, not what the product/service actually costs is a well known practice. / 85.194.44.18 12:04, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

A simpler explanation would be that people are prepared to pay, so they'll charge. A consumer will assume they have to pay insurance on both cars, so will happily pay. And be excited if they get a small discount for insuring both cars with the same insurer. --Dweller 12:07, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fires, hurricanes, tornadoes and the like can destroy all of your cars simultaneously. The risk of having a car stolen is probaby roughly constant for each car (so rises as you have more cars). Insurance (at least in the US) actually does acknowledge that each insured driver can only drive one car at a time.

Atlant 13:28, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

search quote

who made this quote.he is a male celebrity'"something that, that has a new life" —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.49.84.159 (talk) 09:56, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

I have a question for you. Where do these quotes which are normally pretty much just ordinary everyday words and phrases come from? Is there some sort of pub quiz that you're playing? This is at least the fourth quote question of this sort that I've seen in as many weeks. Dismas|^(talk) 12:23, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Didn't one of these questions once allude to it being from the radio? That seems a little more reasonable to have a voice to recognize and not just an unspectacular quote. 139.142.1.141 14:40, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs

I have looked everywhere to find the answer to this: Can you use Reflector CFL's or spiral CFL's on a dimmer? I'm trying to replace all the bulbs in my house with CFL's, but have about half my total interior home lights on dimmers (high hats in the kitchen, dimmers on many lamps, dimmers on the lights in my entertainment center).

Please help.

Thank you

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.200.208.24 (talk) 11:59, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Removed the e-mail address, naughty spam, Perry-mankster 12:03, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Google is your friend. Dismas|^(talk) 12:27, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes and no accoding to the link. At the bottom of the article, it indicates, that yes flourescent lights can be put on a dimmer, but the dimmer has to be made specifically for the particular type of bulb, in order to interact with the ballast correctly. Czmtzc 12:44, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There are compact fluorescent floodlamps designed to work on a normal electronic dimmer just like incandescents. I bought one for about $12 which looks like a normal flood, and dims nicely down to about 20% of full brightness. The color of the light remains the same asa it dims, while regular incandescent lamps get redder as the dim. Below about 20% the CFL goes out completely while the regular bulbs dim down to zero. I find it completely satisfactory except for the much higher cost. There are a wide variety of other CFLs some of which dim further, including A19 bulb styles and spirals as seen at [1]. Edison 16:04, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I put four standard Philips CFL's onto a dimmer circuit in our family room. As you reduce the voltage, at first nothing happens (they don't get dimmer) - then they flicker annoyingly and finally just go off. So as User:Edison points out - you may be able to buy special dimmable CFL's - but the standard kind don't dim nicely. I'm planning to rig up some arrangement by which I turn off one, two, three then four of them as you slide the "dimmer". I've replaced the most frequently used lamps with CFL's - but I'm really waiting until LED bulbs get cheap enough - those should live pretty much for ever and use even less electricity than CFL's - and with any luck you'll be able to adjust their colour to suit the mood, etc. SteveBaker 22:48, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

To 'dim' discharge lamps you need to reduce the current through them without going below the striking voltage of the tube. There are special ballast device s that do this . I beleive that some of them work at high (20KHz) frequencies called HF ballasts. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.111.123.188 (talk) 22:56, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Passports

Does there exist a "free" list of current US citizens holding VISA's or passports .... trying to find info on someone ... thanks, Cathy —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.99.48.92 (talk) 12:02, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Probably not one that is free for civilian use, as such a list would impinge upon the privacy of US citizens. - AMP'd 14:53, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's highly unlikely that a list of us citizen and the (presumably foreign) visas they hold exist. There are certainly at least one, and probably many, databases of US passport holders, none open or free. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.189.98.44 (talk) 19:21, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Buying sumo suits

How much would it cost to buy a pair of sumo suits in Geelong, Australia? and also, where and how much are body balloon costumes if there aren't any on eBay? Wattsini1 11:57, 1 May 2007 (UTC)Wattsini1[reply]

or you could just eat a lot.

Um, sumo wrestlers eat chankonabe every day, probably for nearly every meal. Eating is probably out of the question for normal people.. --Kjoonlee 17:19, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

3-Way Chats

Is it possible to turn a 3-way chat on the phone into a 4-way chat by pressing recall then dialling the 4th person's phone number then pressing recall again and dialling the number 4 instead of 3? This is with Australian phones by the way. --Candy-Panda 12:42, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You should call up your telephone company and ask them. If a 4-way conference chat is operational and available on your network, you should be able to do it without any glitches, I would guess. Just call up your telephone guy, he'll know better. :-P Jayant,18 Years, India • contribs 16:14, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Bolulla - Help!

I'm german and I want to get the two images(see the comment) into the table, but without success. Can someone help me? German article isde:Bolulla. It is a little different as in the german wikipedia ... Thanks -- jlorenz1 14:45, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I fixed it (you may want to change the image size), even though the question would have been better placed at the Help desk! Skarioffszky 15:12, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Skarioffszky for your great help. -- jlorenz1 15:27, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What kind of boat am I thinking of when I say "rowboat"?

When I think of a "rowboat", I imagine something like http://www.addisonart.com/artwork/cohen_B_art/BC_print-Red-rowboat.gif (the first Google image result for "rowboat"), where the front of the boat is pointed, there's a bench or two, and the back of the boat is squared-off. (The picture doesn't show oarlocks on the sides, which are usually on either end of the benches.) Wikipedia's Rowboat page is a redirect to "Watercraft rowing", which seems to be about competitive or military rowing, where the boats are pointed on front and back. ("Canoe-like", I'd call them.)

Does anyone know if there's a name other than "rowboat" for the kind of boat I'm thinking of? Nothing in "Types of Boats" on Boat seems to fit.

Thanks very much. CSWarren 16:18, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think dinghy is about the closest fit. (Though I too would just call it a rowboat) - Eron ^Talk 16:24, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

a Whitehall Rowboat is shaped like you describe. later edit: I looked at alot of boat types in Category:Boat types and Skiff sometimes refers this shape. -- Diletante 16:50, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"Dinghy" is what I have always used for a small practical everyday rowing boat. Probably no oarlocks shown because metal CRUTCHES slip into holes in the sides and the oars fit into them.90.0.131.118 14:44, 2 May 2007 (UTC)petitmichel[reply]

Yahoo News

How do I view yesterday's headlines? Thanks. 67.188.81.239 22:22, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yahoo, like other news pages, changes its headlines often every half hour or so. I don't know that you can "snapshot" a portion of what constitutes yesterday's headlines. If you just need to know what stories were featured generally, you can get that from any newspaper site. Bielle 01:46, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Internet Archive has the headlines of August 26 (I mean, they have August 25 and all before this day as well, but none after August 26), but I think in a few months they'll have yesterday's headlines. This page shows all snapshots that they do have so far. A.Z. 05:50, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Extra Cash

Do you know how preteens can get extra money? Besides baby-sitting, and carwashes. What are those things where companies call you to test their food, and then give you money for what you think? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.78.228.145 (talk) 23:20, 1 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

That's a really good question. I wondered the same when I was a preteen. If you live in Brazil, you can take the test to become a public employee and make a lot more money than the average as soon as you turn 18, though the average here is far from impressive and you have to work 7 hours a day... But all it takes is a bit of motivation to study for the test. Of course you don't live in Brazil, but, then again, maybe my answer will help someone think of something that may turn out to be useful. A.Z. 23:32, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have any skills worth noting? That's always a good avenue to pursue. You didn't mention maintaining peoples' yards, always a classic. -- mattb 00:25, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You were likely thinking of focus groups where marketing companies bring a specific subset of people together to try out products and then comment upon them. I don't know if they use pre-teens in this way; it may be at odds with child-labour laws in some jurisdictions. Bielle 01:40, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Paper-rounds (or routes in the USA), but not sure about age restrictions - i had mine i the 70's where there were few restrictions. Also approach Ma and Pa see if you can do extra chores/jobs around the house for cold hard cash Perry-mankster 12:00, 2 May 2007 (UTC) oh and leaflet deliveries for restaurants/businesses, dog walking and do you play any instruments? there is always busking (but check the last one out regarding legality for where you live) Perry-mankster 12:07, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There's a guy in the town that I live that stands on his head (in a bucket) with his arms crossed. Has a hat and a note asking for money if he made you laugh. He does it pretty much all day. Don't know how much he makes but COULD BE AN IDEA? 213.48.15.234 12:06, 3 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

As the above poster said, you're probably thinking of focus groups or secret shopping jobs, which are fairly rare, but you could try online survey companies. Most of them are fairly unreliable, although i've heard good things about "Hipoints", could try googling that, but you have to be at least 13+ in the USA to qualify, which preteen, by definition, is not. As a preteen, you could try going to smaller shops and ask if they need help. You might be able to find a small toystore (family owned, not toys-r-us) or even game store (again, a smaller store, something local) and ask the boss if they want help selling things. You could easily propose that you just walk around and act like just another customer, and talk actual customers into buying things. This would be highly dependant on what the manager thinks, but it could be a fun thing to do to get some sales an experience, and a few dollars/toys on the side. Just don't go looking for minimum wage. Short of that, most of the jobs a preteen can do are your stereotypical lawnmower/lemonade stand/snow shoveling, unless you want to go into acting (good luck) -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 14:22, 3 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

help

what is the distance between holland and new zealand?

The distance between Amsterdam and Auckland is 11,256 miles or 18,114 kilometers, according to this page. -- Mwalcoff 23:54, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The circumference of the Earth being about 40,000km meaning this close to "half way around the world". Vespine 01:07, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If you travel from New Holland, the distance is much less. Sʟυмgυм • т • c 23:39, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wellington and Madrid are almost exact antipodes, if that's any help. JackofOz